Wise Practices: An Indigenous approach to the annual business meeting

08/18/2015

By Laurie Edmiston

I recently had the fortune of attending the annual event of the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network (CAAN), combining their annual meeting, caucus of Aboriginal people living with HIV/AIDS (APHA Caucus), skills-building conference and “Wise Practices,” the research conference of CAAN’s Aboriginal HIV & AIDS Community-Based Research Collaborative Centre. The event brought together Indigenous people from across Canada involved in the response to HIV and hepatitis C. Although I attend most years, these gatherings never cease to enthrall and move me.

I go to a lot of meetings throughout the year. For most of them, it’s business as usual. However, I find CAAN’s annual meetings to be particularly unique.

At CATIE, we often speak of keeping our work around HIV and hepatitis C culturally relevant, whether we are creating a new resource or hosting a workshop. But CAAN’s incorporation of Indigenous traditions and customs into something as seemingly regular and straightforward as an annual meeting gave me pause to reflect and acknowledge the importance of staying focused on the people behind the work we do, and the importance of culture in the response to HIV and hepatitis C.

Incorporating Indigenous culture and traditions

From the healing circle at the beginning of the conference, to the Feast of delicious traditional foods at the traditional welcoming on the Squamish First Nation, every aspect of the gathering brought in elements of Indigenous culture to be enjoyed by all. Beautiful beaded jewelry, woven baskets and other traditional crafts were available for purchase from local artists. Gifts were given, such as pendants and beautiful drums with CAAN’s logo painted on them. A blanketing ceremony, a great honour for award recipients, saw each of them wrapped in a traditional blanket in front of the whole community. All of the award recipients were remarkable; often their words brought me to tears.

This year was the ultimate in showcasing traditional ceremonies. The official opening began with a Grand Entry, led by the CAAN sacred staff and organizational flag, whereby all delegates entered the conference room following Inuit, Métis, First Nation and provincial flag-bearers, usually wearing their local traditional regalia. Welcome speeches were accompanied by Coast Salish prayers and songs. Perhaps unique to CAAN’s meetings is the inclusion of Aboriginal trans and two-spirit people in the ceremonial dress of their self-identified gender. Indigenous women, two-spirit and trans people took their places in each of the four directions of the hall and danced there to support the delegations.

The gathering was naturally intergenerational. There was great respect for the Elders present, and assistance provided to those with mobility problems. There was an intentional focus on and acknowledgment of the importance of the younger generation of Indigenous leaders. The voices of young children and babies were encouraged and not hushed during the proceedings.

The importance of storytelling

All of the presentations were informed by personal stories. The keynote addresses, as well as other plenary and breakout sessions for both the skills-building gathering and the research conference, were predominantly reflections of the personal and professional paths of the presenters.

Aboriginal Peoples in Canada have been disproportionally affected by HIV. The Public Health Agency of Canada’s surveillance data tells us that they are four times more likely to become infected with HIV than non-Aboriginal people. Centuries of colonialism and over 100 years of residential school trauma have profoundly impacted Indigenous peoples in Canada. Yet despite the heart-wrenching narratives I heard in the stories they told, there was an astounding and refreshing amount of goodwill, warmth and laughter.

I am honoured to have been welcomed into the gathering to share these experiences, and to continue learning from CAAN’s members how to better integrate culture into our ongoing response to HIV and hepatitis C.